Continuity plans are a vital function to protecting and resuming the mission essential functions of a business following a mild or severe critical incident. As good stewards of Marquette's own mission, university departments shall be ready to meet the challenges of any disruption by evaluating, mitigating and planning responses to a variety of possible scenarios. This preparation is known as building a continuity plan.

To assist offices with this task, a Marquette University Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Annex are available. The (BCP) illustrates the requirements necessary to complete a Marquette continuity plan. The Annex stores the critical information necessary to exercise an efficient resumption event. The thirteen tabs of the Annex may be modified to meet the unique functions of any office; however, all tabs within the Annex shall be completed.

All campus offices are required to have a completed
business continuity plan. Plan Annexes should be
updated each October and posted to the BCP
SharePoint site (access restricted to plan writers and department BCP leads).

The purpose of the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is to ensure that all major Marquette offices are prepared to meet adverse conditions and have a plan to reestablish their Mission Essential Functions (MEFs) in an efficient and safe manner.

The Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) is based on
directives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
and the Department of Education’s plan for Emergency
Management in Higher Education institutions.

The COOP is the university-wide
continuity plan. It is designed for responding to events that affect
a larger segment of the university population, such as events involving several offices or buildings. Because the COOP responds to all services and departments, the response is prioritized according to the mission of the university. Departments providing human safety, food and shelter will be aided first, followed by teaching and technology related offices, then support areas, and finally additional offices.

When departmental resumption is enacted, offices may reference the COOP for services offered by the campus sector (e.g. facilities repair, technology replacement, payments for emergency equipment). Service lending agreements Marquette offices indicate what services they can assist with, how to prepare your request, and the best contact person or number to expedite your request.

RESEARCH CONTINUITY

Research continuity is the process of mitigating risks to
research and ensuring expedient recovery of research
following a disruption. Research continuity should always begin with
a risk assessment. Plans should protect: the researcher, data,
research subjects, equipment, records, animals, and critical supplies that
may be impacted by a disruption. A disruption may include
utility failures, communication disruptions, fire, explosion, or
the inability to access the workplace due to safety or
transportation issues. To receive a research
continuity assessment, contact the Director of Business Continuity,
lisa.ehret@mu.edu.